Brown shrew in Padua said to inhabit the countryside (9)
I believe the answer is:
rusticate
'inhabit the countryside' is the definition.
'rusticate' can be an answer for 'inhabit' (rusticating is a kind of inhabiting). I am unsure of the 'the countryside' bit.
I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rusticate that I've seen before include "Spend time in the country" , "Banish to countryside" , "Go to countryside" , "Ban from college" , "throw off campus" .)